1906 Industrial Issue - Trent Township  

Contributed by Christine Grimes Thacker

This Industrial Issue of the Kinston Free Press was published in 1906 although there was an earlier Industrial Issue published in 1899. The issue is composed of both text and numerous pictures of places and people. This will be a slow project so please be patient.

We are grateful to the Free Press for permission to post anything of historical or genealogical in nature published prior to 1939.

TRENT TOWNSHIP

In Trent township there are 202 polls returned for taxation. Of these 169 are white citizens and 33 Negroes, showing that there are very few Negroes in Trent township. Among this race there are no land owners in the township, the 29,969 acres listed for taxation belonging to white people exclusively. The township contains timber, such as oak, pine, hickory, and gum; and also some of the best land in the county, producing tobacco, cotton, corn, and the small grains, etc.

The township contains four churches and seven schools, six for the whites and one for the Negroes. In this township are located Holy Innocents Episcopal church and parish school. The church has a large membership, and the Sunday-school, of which Mr. OSCAR HARDY is superintendent, enrolls 85 pupils. Miss MARY S. WINBURN is principal of the school which has about 40 pupils on roll. Daly's Chapel Free Will Baptist church is served by Elder A.E. ROUSE. Union church, which belongs to the Missionary Baptists, has about 47 members and is served by Rev. W.P. CAMPBELL, of Seven Springs. T.E. ELMORE is superintendent of the Sunday-school which enrolls some 73 members. Deep Run Free Will Baptist church has as pastor Rev. J.E. HOWARD, of Onslow county. There is a church membership of 82.

Trent is very well supplied with schools. School No. 1, Oaky Bottom, is taught by Mrs. ANNIE HERRING. It has about 40 pupils. Miss CARRIE HARDY is teacher of the Byrd school, where there are 30 pupils on roll. The Katie Wood school-so named from its first teacher at its new building-has about 25 pupils. Located in one of the prettiest spots of the county is the Moss Hill school, taught by Miss LILLIE BRYAN and enrolling 44 pupils. The school at Smith's schoolhouse is taught by TROY TYNDALL and enrolls 35 pupils. Deep Run school has an attendance of 103 pupils. It has two teachers, Miss MYRTLE WHITAKER and Miss ADDIE COWARD. There is only one colored school in the township and that has an enrollment of 75 pupils.

HOLY INNOCENTS

The land upon which Holy Innocents Episcopal church now stands is a plantation formerly owned by ROBERT DONNETT, father of Judge J.R. DONNETT, (deceased), of Newberne. The place was named Strabane in honor of Mr. DONNETT'S old home in Scotland. In 1871 the tract upon which church now stands was bought from a Universalist congregation, organized into a parish and admitted into the Episcopal diocese of North Carolina in 1871, with the following vestry: B. WHITFIELD, senior warden; GEORGE JONES, junior warden; Dr. W. H. BLOUNT, secretary; and D.S. DAVIS, treasurer. At that time Sunday-school was organized and has continued without interruption ever since, with a membership varying from eighty to one hundred and ten. It is now teaching some of the third generation of its patrons.

In 1882 under the rectorate of the beloved ISRAEL HARDING, the old church was taken down and a more church like building erected in its stead. The Rev. NATHANIEL HARDING preached the sermon at the laying of the cornerstone.

October 28, 1900, the church was consecrated by BISHOP WATSON, assisted by Rev. T.N.M. GEORGE, Rev. Dr. G.P. SUMMERVILLE, Rev. THOMAS BEL_, and the rector, Rev. JOHN H. GRIFFITH, JR. The consecration sermon was preached by Rev. T.N.M. GEORGE.

The cemetery was laid off and consecrated during the charge of Rev. ISAEL HARDING, who was for ten years prior to his death rector of this parish. A beautiful chancel window in the church is a memorial to his memory.

Holy Innocents Parish school is situated in Trent township in a beautiful location on the Whitehall road about fourteen miles from Kinston. It was built by subscription from the community and elsewhere and was erected in 1903-'04, under the rectorate of Rev. J.H. GRIFFITH, JR., who is rector of St. Mary's , Kinston, N.C. The first school began on the second Monday in September, 1904, with Miss CORINNE WINFIELD, of Chocowinity, principal and Miss MARIE WEYHER, of Kinston, assistant. The principal at present is Miss MARY S. WINBURN, of Edenton, while Miss SWANN D. WELLS, of Rocky Mount is assistant and music teacher.

The school is under supervision of a local board of trustees elected by Holy Innocents Episcopal Church. The salary of the principal is paid by the board of general missions of the Protestant Episcopal Church. The assistant is paid by patrons of the school.

THE BURNS PLACE

The plantation known as the Burns place is the country home of Col. N.B. WHITFIELD. The residence was built by Col. WHITFIELD'S father, Gen. J.B. WHITFIELD, major-general in the N.C. militia and prominent in our State senate 65 years ago. Gen. WHITFIELD owned the first steam boat that ever plied on Neuse river.

The front door at Burns place has always been ajar to everything cultured and refined; and Col. WHITFIELD has acted as a father to many poor children in the county who now show their appreciation of his assistance in their earlier days.

Col. WHITFIELD was educated at the University of North Carolina, and soon after returning home was elected chairman of the board of wardens of the poor. During the Civil War he was made commissioner to provide salt, etc., for the families of indigent Confederate soldiers.

He served in the General Assembly of 1858-1859, and did effective work on our coast during the Civil War as colonel of the 8th N.C. troops. For 24 years he served his county as magistrate; for six years he was chairman of the Lenoir County inferior court. He has served several times on the board of county commissioners and was a member of the legislature of 1891.

Among the acts of his public career, in which Col. WHITFIELD takes pride were his advocacy of the establishment of the Normal and Industrial college and better support for the Agricultural and Mechanical college and an appropriation for the public schools of the State.

Col. WHITFIELD has always an active part in any movement for the betterment of his county and State. He has been Senior Warden of Holy Innocence parish since 1871. He has always been a leading spirit in the farmers' meeting of the county and is now at an advanced age-president of the County Farmers Alliance and of the Farmers Mutual Fire Insurance Association of the county.

ELDER CUNNINGHAM

ELDER CUNNINGHAM is one of the most widely known and generally respected men of the county.

He was born in Trent township within 400 yards of his present home, on July 11, 1843.

ELDER CUNNINGHAM received a common school education in the neighborhood of his home and studied out the meaning of his Saviour's words all alone under the guidance of his Master. Thirty-two years ago he was ordained at the home of NATHAN HILL, a deacon of the Deep Run Church.

Elders HASKILL JONES, E.E. NOBLE and R. MERRITT constituting the board.

His chargers are now Christian chapel in Pink Hill; Smith's New Home and Woodington; in Woodington township; British Chapel, Sand Hill township, Core Creek in Craven county and Whaley's Chapel in Jones county.

Elder CUNNINGHAM owns 120 acres of land, 60 of which he has under cultivation. He is a successful farmer and has a nice orchard of fruit trees on his premises.

During the Civil War Elder CUNNINGHAM was a valiant Confederate soldier. He belonged to the Cook's Brigade, Heath's Division. He was engaged in the battle of Gettysburg, Malvern Hill, Seven Pines and was at the surrender at Appomattox.

He married Miss PENNIE CATHARINE TYNDALL, daughter of JAMES and WINIFRED TYNDALL, of Pink Hill. The children are Mrs. SUSAN HILL, JAMES, HENRY and Mrs. MAY CATHARINE SMITH.

WILLIAM L. HARDY

W. L. HARDY has fought the battle of his life successfully against odds caused largely by the War Between the States.

By sheer force of character, good morals and unstinted energy he has won for himself and his loved ones a comfortable, happy home, with a large plantation of fertile soil to supply all the necessities of life.

Mr. HARDY was born in Alberson township, Duplin county, February 18, 1848. His father was a planter. In his boyhood days young HARDY attended the county schools in the neighborhood of his home. He has been a farmer all his life. He now owns a farm of 1,400 acres and has 600 under cultivation, producing fine tobacco, cotton, corn, etc.

For several years Mr. HARDY has been a school committeeman and is an earnest advocate of education. During the Civil War he was a Confederate soldier, serving in the 68th N. C.

Mr. HARDY married Miss IRENE ARETUS, daughter of GEORGE and SMITHY JONES. The children living are OSCAR, Mrs. LENA SMITH, Mrs. EFFIE DAVIS, Mrs. LESLIE SUTTON, IRENE RAY HARDY, W.S. HARDY, JR., LEONARD P., and NOEL THORN.

OSCAR HARDY

A young man who is prominent in the business, educational and church affairs of the county is OSCAR HARDY, of Trent township. He was born in the township, November 27, 1872, and has always lived near the place of his birth.

Mr. HARDY owns about 200 acres of fine land and has about 75 acres under cultivation. He is associated with his father W.L. HARDY, in the milling and cotton-ginning business.

He is superintendent of the Holy Innocents Sunday-school, is interested in the educational advancement of his community and has been Justice of the Peace for two years. He is now secretary and treasurer of the Lenoir branch of the Farmer's Mutual Life Insurance Association of North Carolina and secretary and treasurer of the county branch of the Farmers Alliance.

Hardy Corn Mill and Cotton Gin.

Capacity of Cotton Gin ten bales a day. Capacity of mill sixty bushels of corn per day. Always a ready flow of water.

I.D. SPARROW

IRA DELL SPARROW was born in Pink Hill Township, September 11, 1858. The place of his birth was about four miles southwest of his present home at Deep Run postoffice.

His parents were ISAAC and JANE SPARROW. He has been postmaster at Deep Run for about eleven years. He owns 325 acres of land and cultivates about 100 easily producing a bale of cotton to the acre.

Mr. SPARROW has at Deep Run two general merchandise stores. In one he keeps and sells groceries, flour, meat, hardware, tobacco, crockery, etc. while in the other is the postoffice and a line of dry goods kept for the neighborhood trade. He also sells fertilizer and has a warehouse on the Kinston and Carolina railroad right near his stores. In addition he keeps general farm supplies for his customers.

Mr. SPARROW married Miss FANNIE, daughter of AMOS and EPPIE STROUD. The children living are CASCO DALE and AMOS M. Mr. SPARROW is a self-made man and is rapidly forging ahead.

1906 Industrial Issue

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